"I need not here speak in detailed words, because from things you have seen you know well enough what I am about to say, of whom I would speak if I could. But it is enough, William, to tell you what you already know. That I love some one else, and that if I am true to myself, which is after all the first _duty_ of all of us, I could never marry you. I can never be to you what you wish or what I would like to be as your wife. I am stricken down with the knowledge of the pain all this will give you, though, thank God, it is not a pain for which you are unprepared. I dare not ask your forgiveness, I can say nothing to console you. I have acted wickedly and wrongly, but I cannot do anything else but what I am doing. "Forgive, if you can. Think kindly, if you can, of Marjorie." Now he knew. He folded the letter gently, kissed it--an odd action for a man so strong--and put it in the inside pocket of his coat, which pressed next his heart. Then he rang the bell. "Ask Mr. Guest to come," he said. "Very well, Sir William," the butler answered, "but Mr. Charliewood has just arrived." "Then ask him in," Gouldesbrough answered. Charliewood came into the room. "By Jove!" he said, "you look about as seedy as I've ever seen you look!" Sir William went up to him and put his hand upon his shoulder. "Look here," he said, "I've had a smack in the face this morning, Charliewood. You know what it is, I need not tell you. And look here, too, I'm going to ask you to help me as you've never helped me before. I'm afraid, old fellow, I've often been a nuisance to you, and often rather rubbed in the fact that you owe me money, and that you've had to do things for me. Forgive me now, if you will. I'm going to call upon you for active friendship." "Oh," Charliewood answered, "we won't talk about friendship between you and me. I've done what I had to do and there's enough." Sir William still held him by the shoulder. "You don't really feel that, Charliewood?" he said in a quiet voice, and as he did so the magnetism of his personality began to flow and flood upon the weaker man and influence him to kindliness. "Well, well," he said, "what is it now? I suppose we've been running round a vicious circle and we've come to the last lap?" "That's just about it," Sir William answered. "Just let me say that this is the last service I shall ever ask from you. I'll give you back all the I.O.U.'s and things, and I'll give you enough money to put yourself absolutely right with the world, then we'll say good-bye." Charliewood started. "That's awfully good of you," he said. "I don't think that I want to say good-bye. But still, what is it?" "Rathbone," Sir William answered, pronouncing the name with marked difficulty. "It's all over then?" Charliewood answered. "Yes." "I thought it would be. I have told you all that has been going on, and I knew it would be."